(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a tank with a filter cartridge for water dispensing appliances, particularly domestic appliances such as beverage vending machines including coffee vending machines, drinking water dispensers, cooking and baking appliances, steam appliances such as steam irons, steam cleaners, high-pressure cleaners, air purifiers and conditioners or the like and particularly those appliances having a suction connection on the tank for the intake of water from the water tank with a vacuum generating device which has a filter connection and a filter disposed inside the tank. More particularly the invention pertains to a tank having a specially constructed outlet which has a blending element which interacts with a specially constructed filter cartridge having a blending element as well as a specially constructed filter cartridge and adapter.
(2) Description Of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
In various machines, for example in coffee or Espresso machines, a water tank for storing a liquid, in the case of coffee or Espresso machines for storing water, is provided, a filter cartridge being insertable into the tank in order to treat the water before processing in the machine. Known filter cartridges have, in the lower region, an inlet through which the water is sucked in by the associated machine. In this case, the water is conducted over a filter bed and passes into the machine via a connection of the filter cartridge to a corresponding suction connection of the water tank.
For the machine to operate reliably, it is very important that it is supplied only with water having a water quality conforming at least to the minimum requirements, for which purpose a filter cartridge having defined filter parameters is preferably used. If a filter cartridge is defective, the machine is supplied with insufficiently or wrongly treated water, and this may lead to adverse effects, for example calcification or the like, even amounting to machine defects. The machine control is not capable of initiating the intended maintenance intervals in due time if it is based on a filter cartridge of the correct type, but this is not actually used. If inadequate filter cartridges are used, problems arise not only in terms of the operating reliability of the machine, but also with regard to warranty questions, etc. It is therefore very important to ensure that only licensed filter cartridges are even employed.
On the other hand, it is possible that the water to be filtered already has a very high quality, so that, at least in specific applications, the filter action achieved by the filter to be used is not altogether necessary to the full extent.